1. Technical Field
Disclosed embodiments relate generally to wireless networking, and more specifically relate to communicating multimedia data over wireless mesh networks.
2. Description of Related Art
Mesh networks are known to be used in a wide variety of applications. For instance, mesh networks have been known to be used for construction, healthcare, higher education, networked communities, public safety, security and surveillance, warehousing and wireless service delivery.
As is known, mesh networking is a way to route data, voice and instructions between nodes. It allows for continuous connections and reconfiguration around blocked paths by “hopping” from node to node until a connection can be established. Mesh networks are self-healing: the network can still operate even when a node breaks down or a connection goes bad. As a result, a very reliable network is formed which allows peer network nodes to supply back haul services to other nodes in the same network.
Nodes may be connected to peripheral devices such as video equipment for video surveillance purposes. A known implementation involves connecting a separate wireless mesh node device to a separate video server device which is in turn connected to a surveillance camera. Such a combination of separate components do not serve the purpose of video surveillance very well due to the requirement for the user to interconnect and configure each of the components separately. For example, configuration and interconnection generally requires substantial specialized networking knowledge on the part of the user. In addition, each of the network components generally have external power applied. Such configurations often occupy considerable space which does not lend itself well to surveillance operations.
Additionally, a surveillance operation of a public event may involve network nodes that are located in places where access can be a problem. An example is a surveillance camera mounted on a tall pole or on a building that may be a significant height off the ground. Fielding such a wireless video surveillance network requires various interconnections, cabling, power supplies, and configuration of a number of parameters, and network configurations between devices. Setting up is time consuming and laborious, not to mention inconvenient, to configure devices to provide a wireless mesh video network. In the case of a deployment based on an IEEE 802.11 network, these include configuring the channel number (typically, the selection of the center frequency on which the device will communicate), the internet protocol address of the video server(s), and in some instances, the encryption key. For several of these parameters, each node of the network needs to be communicated with and configured individually. In addition, it is not unusual for an address or encryption code to be incorrectly assigned, thus rendering a node completely inaccessible from the network. Correction of these types of errors are often difficult and laborious. Additionally, many potential users of a wireless video mesh network may not have a strong understanding of digital wireless networks necessary for their set up and maintenance.
In setting up the video nodes, many peripheral devices (for example, IP video cameras and video servers) require that a user log on to the device and assign an IP address. Determining what address to assign each device is often not easy and generally requires that the user have a strong understanding of networking concepts. While peripheral devices do sometimes have the capability of requesting and receiving a network address automatically, determination of just what IP address was assigned is often difficult.
Another issue when deploying a mesh network involves optimal positioning of each node. This can be a time consuming task and usually requires special tools such as a location analyzer. Such tools are costly and require RF and network knowledge to operate.
Therefore, a need exists for a video node for wireless mesh networks that simplify the operation and deployment of nodes in the network.